A former senior Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official and an associate have been charged with conspiring to launder millions of dollars and provide support to a Mexican drug cartel, an organization that the U.S. government has designated a foreign terrorist organization.
Paul Campo, 61, of Oakton, Virginia, who once served as deputy chief of the DEA’s Office of Financial Operations, and Robert Sensi, 75, of Boca Raton, Florida, were charged in Manhattan federal court with narcoterrorism, terrorism, narcotics distribution, and money laundering, according to an indictment.
Both were arrested on Thursday afternoon in New York.
Prosecutors allege the two men believed they were working with members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal groups.
Campo and Sensi appeared before a New York magistrate judge on Friday afternoon, who ordered them held without bail.
Their attorneys entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. The pair are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Why It Matters
The case raises serious concerns after the Trump administration designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
What To Know
In 2024, Sensi met with a confidential source who was cooperating with law enforcement and presenting himself as a representative of CJNG, according to the indictment.
Sensi allegedly touted Campo’s experience and former government position, telling the source that Campo could use his knowledge of DEA operations, financial investigations, and international money-movement systems to help the cartel hide drug proceeds and navigate U.S. law-enforcement scrutiny.
Campo and Sensi met repeatedly in New York, Virginia, and Florida, where they allegedly agreed to launder as much as $12 million in cartel drug proceeds by converting bulk cash into cryptocurrency and moving the funds through overseas accounts, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors said Campo had already laundered about $750,000 as part of the scheme and also facilitated a payment connected to roughly 220 kilograms of cocaine, which he understood had been imported into the United States.
The indictment also alleges the pair discussed helping CJNG acquire military-grade weapons, explosives, and drones, and providing guidance to support the movement of cocaine.
“Camp and Sensi also agreed to explore procuring commercial drones and military-grade weapons and equipment for CJNG, including AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, M4 carbines, M16 rifles, grenade launchers, and rocket-propelled grenades,” the indictment reads.
Evidence in the case includes hours of recordings of Campo and Sensi speaking with the informant, along with cellphone location data, emails, and surveillance images, Assistant U.S. Attorney Varun Gumaste told the court Friday.
What People Are Saying
“As alleged, Paul Campo and Robert Sensi conspired to assist CJNG, one of the most notorious Mexican cartels that is responsible for countless deaths through violence and drug trafficking in the United States and Mexico,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.
“As part of that support, the defendants laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars they believed to be CJNG drug proceeds, agreed to launder millions more, and even agreed to use their financial expertise to facilitate cocaine trafficking right here in New York City. By participating in this scheme, Campo betrayed the mission he was entrusted with pursuing for his 25-year career with the DEA. CJNG is a violent and corrupting criminal enterprise that New Yorkers want broken.
“The indictment of former Special Agent Paul Campo sends a powerful message: those who betray the public trust—past or present—will be held to account to the fullest extent of the law,” said DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole.
“The alleged conduct occurred after he left DEA and was unrelated to his official duties here, but any former agent who chooses to engage in criminal activity dishonors the men and women who serve with integrity and undermines the public’s confidence in law enforcement. We will not look the other way simply because someone once wore this badge. There is no tolerance and no excuse for this kind of betrayal.”
What Happens Next
If convicted, they face decades in prison.
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